Speaking of Jesus

Our Taize Service to mark the Week of Prayer  for Christian Unity unfolded serenely this evening. Sr Anne Hammersley cp, the Assistant Chaplain, had prepared everything meticulously. A band from Cragg Hill Baptist Church in Horsforth provided the music and the singing. We were able to join in the wonderful chants and to inhabit the silences which followed them. The focus of the semi-circle of chairs at the front of the chapel was a large red painted crucifix, bearing a giant Christ and alongside him the much smaller figures of Mary and the Beloved Apostle, whose gestures showed that they had now stepped beyond history and were petitioning Jesus on our behalf. We joined in their prayers. We had made the cross our own, lighting red candles placed around its borders and laying alongside it crosses of twigs that we had fashioned, representing the personal suffering of each. Afterwards, a Baptist woman remarked on how powerful she found the crucifix in our chapel. She is used to seeing an empty cross which for her expresses the reality of Christ's resurrection, but looking at a crucifix helps her to understand the depths of Christ's love. What a felicitous exchange for us to have during a week such as this! Over the supper, during which local Christians mixed with students - and which consisted of spicy red kidney bean soup, chicken pieces in a honey and grainy mustard glaze, lamb tangine, rice and a vegetarian pizza - we talked, as usual about all sorts and then suddenly, on my sofa, the conversation switched to a consideration of Jesus in his humanity and no sooner had that drawn to a close than I heard the word "Jesus" in a conversation on a nearby sofa. The very mention of Our Lord's name elevates such a social occasion, gives it very naturally a new character. We mention "Jake" and "Luke" and "Sue" and everybody knows of whom we talk. For believers, to utter Jesus' name is always a charged speech event: we are clearly not just talking about a historical personage; we are talking about somebody we know. Jesus' presence in our lives has become more real to us because we have just dared to name him and to speak of him as we do of a friend.

Here is the very generous kitchen team for the evening: Hannah, chopping, Naomi, peeling, Laura, pouring, Meghan, opening and Matt, grinding.